Darker than the ocean's depths
by So Serious But Not
Summary: What do you get when you have Bra, a jealous mermaid, crave for the lover of a beautiful human girl, Marron? What if the human girl doesn't know about it? And what would happen if the girl would just 'mysteriously' disappear?
1. The beach

~Kindacute~ FINALLY!!! Some inspiration has struck! Man, it's been months since I've tried to write a proper fic. Well, anyway, here's a little warning though: I don't think this fic will have a happy ending. I'm not sure yet, but I've already got the ending pretty much planned out. If you guys don't like that, maybe suggest ways of making it happier.

The lightly salted breeze against his naked skin made Goten shudder in delight. He buried his elbow into the soft, warm sand and rested his head on his fist. He could then comfortably gaze into the distance at the sinking, golden sphere, which has already touched the tip of the horizon making it seem as if it were melting into the hyaline. He sighed to himself, knowing that this magical moment has to come to an end. 

His eyes looked down at the sleeping maiden cuddling against his chest. He frowned at the thought of having to have to wake her. But he knew her father… a typical, overprotective Dad that sees no fault in his daughter but he does see it in those that she knows… especially boyfriends. Goten didn't want to risk taking the beauty home late, even if they were already engaged. 

He sat up slowly, taking her with him in his arms. He rested her head on his chest, then tapped her gently on the back.

"Marron…" he cooed. No response but he wasn't so sure whether or not she's still asleep. A warm smile escaped from his lips. "Marron…" This time he swore he heard giggles coming from the head on his chest. It was then that a mischievous smile replaced the warm one on his face. "Marron, did you know that I'm gonna toss you into the sea if you don't get up now?" Still no response, but it was evident that Marron was awake. 

__

She thought I was being sarcastic! He chuckled to himself. "Right, Marron, you've asked for it!" And with that he scooped her into his arms and stood up. Marron's eyes flung open with the impact. 

"Goten?" she tried to say in a weak, sleepy voice but her giggles were a dead give away that she has been awake for a while. "What are you doing?" she asked, rubbing the pretend sleep out of her eyes as Goten suddenly started to carry her off into the direction of the roaring waves. It was obviously Goten's turn to remain silent. His thoughts fixed on the salty water he was approaching. Marron started to get worried when she saw the mischievous look on her fiancée's face and how very close they were getting to the cooling seawater.

"Goten, put me down!" she ordered, starting to kick loose from his grip. "Or else I'll… I'll…"

"Or else what?" Goten said, stopping in his tracks for a moment, looking down at her. He was enjoying Marron's struggle. Marron thought briefly, knowing that if she took too long to think she'd be drenched in a matter of seconds. An evil grin slowly crawled onto her face. She looked up into his dark eyes. 

"Or else I'll tell my Daddy," she said in a childish, but serious tone. Goten rolled his eyes. She had hit the target spot on. He let go of her feet, almost dropping them onto the sand and knocking Marron off balance. Goten caught her from behind and held onto her shoulders for support so that she didn't fall.

"Daddy's girl," he muttered teasingly into her ear as her head almost levelled with his as she stood up. Marron shrugged his hands off of her shoulders, turned around and gave him a look that seemed to say 'as if I care what you think'. 

"Well, aren't you taking me home then?" she demanded more than asking.

"Not with you looking like that, I'm not," Goten said, pointing to Marron's sand covered body. "Really, what would your father say?" he asked sarcastically. Marron raised a brow, trying to hold a serious pose (and failing miserably at it).

"Well, you'd better get dressed too, Mr," she said, walking over to her crumpled up clothes at the foot of the cliff. Goten followed and after having about an entire desert shaken out of each piece of clothing and finally wearing something descent, they both departed the beach through a narrow, winding path leading up to the cliff.

__

He's ALWAYS with that girl. Why can't she just leave him in peace? The young woman peered over the rock at the two lovers disappearing behind a corner turn onto cliff. The soft sea breeze had by that time turned into more of a gust of wind. This caused the waves to crash hard against the woman's rock, making it cold to the touch. The rock sat comfortably though, due to a lot of it having eroded away by the woman's constant sitting on that exact spot… for ever watching the couple on their usual place on the beach. 

She brushed some clammy strands of hair out of her face. The lust in her azure eyes had grown more evident every day, with every breath she took, ever since the first day she had seen him on the beach. She didn't know his name, or where he came from. The rock was too far out at sea to actually hear any conversations for these details to be collected. All she knew was that she wanted HIM and no one else.

The wind started howling and blew hard against her bare back. A distant calling of her name was carried with the wind from beyond the darkening horizon. As if woken up from a wonderful dream and unwilling to rise, she reluctantly slid down into the depths below the rock. She held onto the edge of the rock and gazed one last time into the direction he disappeared into. She then dived into the fresh, cool water, the scales of her silver tail glistening under the surface until they could no longer be seen in the darkness of the ocean…


	2. Summer Solstice

"Bra, I demand that you tell me what you're up to!" the young girl called after her friend. Bra paused and turned around.

"You _demand_?" she answered with a sly chuckle. "And since when do I have to state my business to you, Pan?" Bra said. She turned around and continued on with her rudely interrupted journey, flicking her aqua hair over her shoulder in annoyance.

Pan clenched her fists. She wasn't going to let her go without a fight. She swam up to Bra and barricaded her way. Bra glared at Pan as she tried to get past. Pan refused to give way. She grabbed Bra by the shoulders, knowing that her strength exceeded that of Bra, so she wouldn't be able to get away so easily.

"Stop this!" Bra yelled, trying to shake Pan's strong grip off. "Since when do you decide where I can or can't go?" 

"Since you've been going to the surface!" Bra stopped struggling and looked wide-eyed at Pan. "Yes, I do know about your little trips to peruse a certain human," Pan said with a hint of acidity in her voice. She smiled malevolently. 

"This is none of your business!" Bra bellowed, struggling once more to free herself of Pan's grip. "LET ME GO!"

"Then tell me what you're up to," Pan said calmly, not so much as loosening her grasp on Bra.

"Why?" Bra said a little calmer, realising that she couldn't stand a chance trying to break free by just struggling. She resorted to try and pin Pan down with an icy stare, hoping deep down that Pan can't fight a psychological battle as well. Pan raised a brow, trying hard not to laugh at Bra's pathetic attempt to try and scorch her. 

"Bra, you know it's dangerous," she said in a firm, but gentler voice. "Besides, Trunks would flip if he found out."

"It's not as if it's forbidden," Bra said. 

"It's not highly recommended either," Pan said, sounding like an old school teacher. "Anyhow, what good would it do? You're not a groundling like he is."

"But that doesn't mean I can't become one!"

"What?"

"Didn't you know?" Bra said. "There is a plant that belongs to both the ocean and the land. If a mermaid eats this plant at midnight on the summer solstice it would turn human until the winter solstice of that same year."

"Then what?" Pan said, curiosity taking over her concern for Bra's safety. Bra looked down and started to fiddle with a lock of hair resting on her shoulder.

"I… I'm not sure…" she muttered.

"Then what the hell were you going to do?" Pan said. "I mean, the price for something like that is usually death. Or worse… Would six months of fun be worth all that?"

"I dunno…" 

"Well then, problem solved. You stay, marry that nice Ubu guy (whom you're betrothed to anyway!) and no worries of whether you're gonna die when the sky gets colder and darker." Pan said, so content with her solution that she hadn't realised that she'd let go of Bra. 

Bra pulled away and swam in the opposite direction to where Pan was as fast as she possibly could. Pan didn't bother swimming after her. _The land is the other way. She's going home._ Pan thought to herself. She shook her head with a slight smile on her face. _What would she think of next? Marry that creature?_

Bra leaned against the stone boulder. Her hair drifted dreamily in the soft current.

… you're not a groundling like he is… 

She looked up at the surface, small waves refracting the moonbeams above. 

… the price of something like that is usually death… 

She frowned at a small rowing boat floating past, blocking the light. And yet, she could help but envy those aboard it.

…or worse… 

She looked down at her silver fin, flicking from side to side to keep her balance. 

… would six months of fun be worth all that? 

She then heard a painfully familiar chuckle from within the boat: Goten. That made Bra's self-conscience answer Pan's question immediately… 

__

Yes, it would. He is yours.

She then heard the giggle that she despised most. Marron was in the boat with Goten.

__

She's gotta go. And do you know what day it is tomorrow? 

Bra looked up at the boat, grinning wider than a Cheshire Cat and whispered to herself, "Summer Solstice". 


	3. Missing and meeting

__

No note, no phone call, nothing. She… she just… vanished…

Goten climbed, in a trance, onto the top of the furthest rock from the shore, nearly slipping on its clammy surface.

Three days. Three days away from her. 

He slid down into what seemed to be a natural seat formation, smooth and polished by the sea, at the very edge of the rock.

But she knew I had business to attend to, just for three days. 

He could see everything from where he was sitting, a breath taking view of the horizon and a clear sight of everything that happens on the beach. He could even catch a glimpse of the tip of the cliff. But his thoughts had replaced his senses. Goten never took in what he saw.

__

Three days… enough to lure her away from me… 

Around him waves crashed onto nearby rocks, a lone gull glided on the cool but gentle breeze. Goten clambered out of the seat onto the rough surface of the rock. He could hear the faint rumbles of crashing water and moving sediment but he never took into account how close the sound was to where he stood and before he realised that the low rumbles had become increasingly louder, something had knocked him of his feet. But he never felt the stone. No, there was nothing beneath him. His senses had completely rebelled. His eyes stung, his hearing muffled like a faintly growling stomach, he could feel nothing except cold, icy wetness around him and only tasted salt when he dared open his mouth. He couldn't breathe…

__

"Dro reka!"

Goten felt a great pressure on his chest…
"Mok, o toem!" 

… then a surge of nausea building up inside of him…

"Bil ebi me!" 

… it felt as though his insides would burst…
"Bil eb me!" 

… he couldn't keep in the fluid building up behind his throat… his eyes opened as a result of the impact of whatever escaped through his mouth… he gasped for… air?

"Sid doeg!" 

He realised that he wasn't alone. Someone was talking to him… resting him on his or her lap. Goten shakily looked up into two icy blue eyes.

"Me las an o tac," said a melodic voice.

"Huh?" he croaked out.

"Me las an o tac," the voice said again. Goten was helped into a seated position… and then he saw… _her_. Resting on her knees, beautiful, blue haired maiden stared back at him with curiosity written all over her. Goten didn't know what to say, except…

"W-what ha-happened?" he whispered breathlessly.

"Taw?" she cocked a brow.

"Huh?"

"Taw?" Then woman started to giggle. "O fesar me tien, ye?" she sniggered.

Somehow, Goten understood that comment. "Yeah, I don't understand you," he said, and couldn't help but smile at her girlish giggling. 

It was from that point on that they resulted to signs, which was easier said than done. Through what he gathered, Goten was told that he fell into the water whilst the woman was swimming (or was it taking a stroll?) and she went after him and forced him to gain consciousness once they were on shore. Goten tried to tell the woman that he was looking for his friend and that he should go home to see if she was there. However, either Goten wasn't good at signs or the woman couldn't translate, because when he got up to leave the maiden got up too and followed him all the way up the cliff.

"Which direction are you going?" he tried to sign, after realising that she was still there. The woman just stood there, hands behind her back, her beautiful eyes smiling sweetly at him. Goten sighed and smiled back politely. He tried to make her understand that he had to leave. He waved to say goodbye. The woman looked puzzled at the gesture but mimicked him anyway. Goten smiled more genuinely this time, then turned away and started walking. The woman stood there for a moment, then tried to follow, but Goten stopped her. Realising that this wasn't a game, the woman stopped in her tracks and looked pretty close to tears. She clenched her fists and ran off in another direction, her aqua hair flicking vigorously in all directions. Confused by the woman's strange actions, yet thankful that she acknowledged their departure, Goten turned and walked off towards his cabin at the edge of the cliff. He quickly glanced back before he entered, just in case, but didn't see her behind him. Then, as he opened the wooden door of the cabin, a thought sprung into his mind…

Goten, you fool… she saves your life and all you can do is shoo her off? You didn't ask for her name, you didn't ask where she came from… you didn't even thank her… 


	4. A night on a silent street

She hugged her shoulders as she walked into a silent street. Three days ago it was the most spectacular thing she had ever seen. All those lights, smells from inside tall, colourful buildings and the fact that she felt strange sensations that she never had felt before… heat and cold (as her kind had never had need for senses). But her fascination in the experiences had now subsided. She had no need to see. She didn't desire to feel the icy breeze against her almost naked body, or the heat radiated from the buildings. All she could think of was her flaw less plan, which had failed anyway.

"Fancy meeting you here," a familiar tone came from behind her. She froze for a moment, not believing what she was hearing.

"Why did you follow me, Trunks?" she whispered almost inaudibly as she turned around to face her older brother. She looked into his eyes, as pale and cold as hers. But she couldn't keep eye contact with him for long. She knew that she had betrayed all that is Mermish, and therefore had to suffer the shame. She looked away. But Trunks didn't seem the slightest bit angry at her betrayal, nor in anyway amused by his sister's shame. He looked down at her sympathetically.

"Pan told me everything," he said gently, reaching out to his little sister. "I decided to go after you, but it was too late. I saw you eat that plant." Bra looked up her brother once more, seeking a way to apologise to him without having had to say it. Trunks smiled warmly down at her. "Don't be ashamed, we are both guilty of the same crime." That was when Bra realised something rather important…

"You… you've got legs!" she said, wide-eyed, standing a step back to have a full view of them. Trunks' smile turned into a grin.

"I wasn't gonna let you have all the fun," he said, almost laughing at the thought. 

"But… but… you know the price, don't you?" Bra said, with concern in her voice.

"Yep," he replied bluntly.

"Then… why…"

"You only live once," he shrugged. 

"You're crazy!" Bra said, raising her voice slightly.

"Well at least I'm not 'boy crazy'," Trunks replied with a smirk.

"You don't understand!" Bra was getting scared. She was living a dangerous dream, one that she didn't want to others to suffer from. It was her private fight for affection… something Trunks couldn't possibly be trying to fight for too. Her face turned bleak. She didn't want her brother to share her fate.

"Hey sis, don't sweat it," Trunks said, reassuringly.

"What's sweat?" Bra said, starting to shiver from the icy sea breezes blowing on her arms.

"You'll find that out soon enough," Trunks chuckled. "By the way, what did you do to that girl?"

"Huh?"

"You know, the one you hated more than death?" Bra stood shell socked for a moment. For one, she didn't understand how he knew about that girl. And another thing, why did he think Bra did anything to her… Trunks read her face like a book. "Well, Pan pretty much told me every horrible detail, including the guy you wanna steal."

"I didn't lay a finger on her!" 

"Hey, we're family. I'm not gonna convict you if you tell me."

"But I didn't come near her!"

"But you somehow managed to push dream boy into the sea, so how can you not possibly have done anything to his girl?" Trunks said, with a hint of sarcasm in his tone of voice.

"Wait a second, how do you know I pushed that boy into the water?" Bra said.

"Well, it wasn't very hard to find you after I became human. Of course, I didn't set out to look for you straight away; I wanted to experience the human life. After I took in as much about humanity as I could possibly handle, I just took Pan's advice and went straight for the little beach. I saw you push him in then forge a rescue then…" Trunks trailed off once he saw Bra looking down at her feet.

"He didn't want me, Trunks," she whispered, sniffing back her tears. "I saved his life and he still didn't want me."

"Nonsense, sis," her big brother replied, patting Bra on her back as tears started streaming out of her eyes. "He just… err… didn't understand you, that's all." Bra wiped her one eye with the back of her hand. She sniffed, then smiled timidly up at her brother.

"You really think that was the problem?" she asked, her voice still a little shaky.

"Sure, all you need to do is learn English."

"Ing-gel-lesh?"

"That's the language they speak here," Trunks said.

"But… how can I learn Ingelesh? The humans wouldn't even look at me."

"Leave that to me, sis," Trunks said, taking his sister by the hand and leading her down the silent street. 


	5. The market place

~Kindacute~ Ok, here are a few things I just wanted to make clear… 

I have nothing against Pan! I might have portrayed her rather stingy and all that but you guys have to realise that Bra is her best friend… 'Nuff said about that.

Secondly, my Mermish language is a mixture of South African, Spanish and English spelt backwards. So, if you are able to understand these languages, try to translate! Heehee…

Thirdly, anything written in Italics is meant to be in English, not Mermish. In other words, Bra doesn't understand what's being said.

Walking down the busy market-street of the town in the early morning sun, a strange, blue haired couple was making their way through the crowd. The female seemed unsure about her surroundings and was clinging tightly to the young man's arm. The young man tried to keep a low as possible profile (whispering softly in his companions ear and avoiding any possible eye contact), but the bright red, untrendy, buttoned up trench coat made a couple of heads turn in his direction, kind of giving him away. 

"Ah… ah… achooo!"

"I see my little sister is catching a cold," Trunks chuckled softly.

"What's a cold?" Bra asked.

"Nothing serious. You just need more clothes to keep you warm," Trunks replied.

"Clothes?" 

"You're wearing some at the moment," Trunks said, pointing down at her filthy brown, bikini-style rags.

"Oh, right."

"How did you get those anyhow? Surely you didn't buy them."

"Buy?"

"Obviously not," Trunks muttered under his breath. "But how did you get those clothes?"

"I tore up some of those sails from the newly sunken ships before I turned human." 

"I see, so you came prepared," Trunks said sarcastically.

"Ok, so what's the problem?"

"Well, the main reason why the humans refuse to look at you is because you're not dressed very decently. What you're wearing is what they wear to the beach, nowhere else."

"Oh, you mean I have to wear something else?" Bra said, scratching her head. "I mean, whenever that girl was on the beach, this was the most she ever wore. So you can't blame me for thinking that this is what they wear."

"Fine then, we'll just have to buy some then," Trunks stated.

"Err… Trunks… what's -?"

"To buy means to trade with these things," Trunks said, showing Bra a hand full of flat, copper coloured stones. "It's called money."

"Hey look! It's got a face on it!" Bra said, grabbing one from her brother's hand. Her brother took the coin back. 

"Don't draw too much attention to yourself," he hissed as he eyed the suspicious glances from other people. "You want to be a human?" Bra nodded. "Then act like one!"

"Alright,"

"Now watch closely," Trunks whispered. The two moved through the vast crowd in the bustling market place to a stall that sold robes of every colour imaginable. The man at the stall gave a sideways glance at Bra's perfectly curved, but incredibly dirty figure as Trunks mumbled something to him in English.

__

"Ah! I see," the man replied, after Trunks showed him his copper coins. _"I think she should look great in this." _He pulled out something blue with the strangest shape Bra had ever seen. She distinctly heard the word 'jeans' in the sentence… but she had no idea how she was meant to put it on. She then saw Trunks shake his head. _"How about this?"_ The man pulled out something completely different… and Bra recognised the shape at once. She pointed to it eagerly, trying hard not to say anything that'll make people more suspicious than they already were.

"You sure you want this?" Trunks whispered so that the man couldn't hear. Bra nodded with a big smile on her face. "Right then."

Without much further discussion Trunks bought the piece of clothing that Bra desired, then he took her down the street and into a small alley for her to get dressed.

"Why on Earth did you want this of all things?" Trunks asked as Bra admired herself in her new robe. 

Bra shrugged and twirled around, making the material lift up slightly. She giggled. "What is this called, anyway?"

"It's called 'a dress'," Trunks said, watching Bra twirling herself dizzy. "Now I can teach you the lang-,"

"Shhh…" Bra suddenly hid behind Trunks. "There he is," she whispered as Goten walked passed the alley, staring blankly at the stalls. "Quick, how do you say Hello, My Name Is and Goodbye in English?" Trunks cocked a brow but told her anyway. Then, before he could say anything, Bra flashed past him onto the main street.

Goten picked up a conch by one of the sea shell stalls. He put it to his ear and listened to the ocean. He couldn't help smiling at the memories of Marron's obsession with the sound of the sea. She would sit there for hours, just to listen. If only…

"Heello!" Someone tapped Goten on his shoulder excitedly. Rather annoyed that he was disturbed from his trail of thought, he turned around to chase the person off. But he couldn't… 

"Mie nayme iz Bra," the azure-eyed beauty said, tapping her chest. Goten was speechless. There, right in front of him, was the girl who saved his life the day before… and in the same dress that Marron always wore! He gaped for a moment at her figure and how the marine blue colour of the dress suited her almost better than Marron. The girl eyed Goten, obviously expecting a reply from him.

"Oh… err… my name is Goten," he said, returning the gesture. He gathered that she was trying out her English so he waited for her to say something back. He didn't want to get her confused. But the girl just smiled back sweetly at him. She was obviously a couple of years younger than he was but he didn't seem to have notice that the first time they met. The two stared at each other for a minute or so, until Bra glanced back at a young man in a funny red trench coat standing across the street, watching them. Goten gathered that it might be a relative. 

"Goot bye, Goten," she said looking back at him. Goten smiled at her and, before he could say goodbye to her, she disappeared into the vast crowds of the market-street. 


End file.
